Roadtrip 2019: April 5th and 6th - Day 6 & 7

I have a routine when I’m in San Angelo; breakfast at Diego Burritos, and a meal at both Rosa’s and Dun Bar East.  I ate Rosa when I came in and Dun Bar for supper the night before, and Friday morning I ate at Diego’s. My routine was completed for this trip.

I visited with mother at noon and then around 4 pm.  Both visits were about 20 minutes in length because that’s my limit on being able to listen to her repeat the same stuff over and over again.  But I had Razorback loaded for the 4 pm visit so I’ve already have said my goodbyes to Shelley, Fred (the dog) and the cats, Binks, Cassie, and Fluff who was like “yeah, whatever dude.”  I tried to say goodbye to Zipper but he just shot me the bird and ran under the bushes again. So, I said my goodbye to mother and she knew I was going home so she got up in her wheelchair and walked me to the door.  I’m not sure if she watched me take off on Razorback but I still waved at the door, just the same,

I cut across on the FM 2288 toward US 87 and that saved me from having to deal with the afternoon San Angelo traffic. I traveled north on US 87 through the farm lands  towards Sterling City where on the north side of town I picked up TX 158.

Heading northward I came upon a convoy where this ginormous tank was being hauled.  The truck nearly took up both lanes. It had the usual escorts in both front and back but it also had to sheriff deputies on motorcycles as escorts too; one in the front and one in the rear.  As I was passing by the rear escort deputy, I glanced over and notice that he was sitting on his mount with both his arms crossed. I did a double take and then shook my head as a “whatever” gesture.

As I neared the interstate at Midland I got a text from Charles Leon to meet him at the Denny’s for dinner.  Google Maps took me right there.

While eating supper from my advantage I could see some storm clouds coming in but the last time I checked the weather app it had said that the rains were coming in after midnight.  When the lighting started as we had finished eating Charles Leon exclaimed “It’s Raining!”. I looked out and could see the rain from the passing cars headlights. So we got up, he paid and I tipped then I walked out and it had basically stopped.  I jumped on Razorback and followed him to this casa. The lighting storm that was exciting and fascinating to to watch. Not often does one gets to watch lightning jump from cloud to cloud but I must have seen that happen a dozen times. Once we got to Charles Leon’s home I noticed that it hadn’t rained a drop there.  But the lightning show was still going on so I stood outside and enjoyed it. After a while it died down and I came inside.

We spent the evening mostly watching the weather reports and I realize that if I left in the morning I would be heading into a bad weather front.  I’m prepared for bad weather if it catches me on the road but to knowingly head into it isn’t my ideal.

I went to bed around midnight

Upon waking in the morning I decided to delay my departure.  That would mean no making Paris TX by Saturday night nor Tupelo MS buy Sunday night but it meant that I would stay behind that front that was heading eastward.  

We ate breakfast at PoJo’s in town.  Charles Leon eats so much there I believe that it would benefit him to own stock.  

From Pojo we went back to his place and I checked Razorback’s chain tension and tires pressure.  Both were still spot on and needed no servicing. The next few hours were spent exchanging family history and lore and then about motorcycle adventures.  Finally at 3 pm I said my goodbyes and was on the road again.

I set the route on Google Maps to go the “high road” that would had taken me into Paris and then into Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, then home.  Google Maps decided that’s not the route I should take since it was 30 minutes longer and while moving decided to send me back to San Angelo and then to Austin then home.  Blasted App! I didn’t notice the change until I was on TX 158 again nearing the interstate. I stopped at the Pilot there and fuel then since they had a PJ Fresh there I got some lunch of pot roast and fixin’.  I figured that the only way to kept me on the high road and not returning basically back the way I had came was to set Google Maps to the hotel address in Paris then once in Paris I’ll switch it to the Tupelo hotel address.  I got to looking over the route from where I was to Paris and I was being routed along the service roads that follows I-20 into Fort Worth. Hells Bells! What is wrong with this thing!

I expanded the map area out and saw that I could go northward on TX 349 to Lamesa Tx where I could pick up US 180 and then US 180 East would take me towards Paris with the plus that since it was a simple route I could cut that blasted Google Maps off.  

I headed northward through the oil fields and farm lands and just south of Lamesa I was able to cut across and pick up US 180 so I never got to saw Lamesa but now I was heading east and across the Texas Plains area.  I made good time and by 8 pm I came into Anson Tx. They had a Sonic. I had my supper.

I notice that Anson had two motels and asked my server at Sonics if there was any others.  She said, “no” then pointed to the on that was catty corner from the Sonics and said, “for gawd sake don’t stay at that one, it’s buggy!”  She said that the one on the outskirts of town as I came in was pretty good so after I finished my meal I checked into there.

Tomorrow, Paris and beyond!